Pursuant to the Federal Judicial Center's statutory mandate, the International Judicial Relations Office provides information to help improve the administration of justice in foreign countries and acquires information about the judicial systems of other nations that will improve the administration of justice in the courts of the United States.

At the invitation and with the financial support of the U.S. government, foreign judiciaries, or international development organizations, the IJR Office responds to requests for assistance with capacity development from courts and judicial training centers around the world. This outreach has included assessment projects in the Philippines and Namibia, international conferences in Brazil and Turkey, and workshops in Bulgaria and Ukraine. The office also reaches out to U.S. judges and court managers with expertise relevant for particular international rule-of-law initiatives.

In Washington, D.C., the Center regularly hosts foreign judges and court officials. These programs are funded by U.S. government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. For example, Center staff met with representatives from Kenya’s Judicial Services Commission to discuss judicial administration, and staff developed programs about judicial education for judges from Argentina, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

Travel and other direct costs of the Center's international programs are funded by outside sources. Participation by Center employees is secondary to their primary research and education responsibilities to the federal judicial system.

To learn more about FJC international programs and materials, please contact us at ijr@fjc.gov or Download a PDF brochure describing international programs at the Federal Judicial Center.